What It Takes To Win - Honda Classic

Michael Thompson, a tournament long shot, for the first time in his career found the solution to what it takes to win on the PGA Tour.   He shot a respectable 67-65-70-69 throughout the week to become the winner of the 2013 Honda Classic.

It was a battle right to the finish as Thompson stook on the 18th fairway with a one shot lead.  This is a time where the pressure couldn't be any greater, when it suddenly feels 20 degrees hotter, and we see who really has 'what it takes to win'.  Thompson keep his cool and was able to make a great approach shot to which he later commented "That for me kind of sealed the deal, it allowed me to walk up the fairway and enjoy the experience, see the crowd and... just finish strong."

Let's take a closer look at the breakdown of Thompson's tournament and what it took to win the Honda Classic...

• Round 1: 67 (3 under) - 5 Birdies, 11 Pars, 2 Bogeys
• Round 2: 65 (5 under) - 6 Birdies, 11 Pars, 1 Bogey
• Round 3: 70 (Even) - 4 Birdie, 10 Pars, 4 Bogeys
• Round 4: 69 (1 under) - 1 Eagle, 3 Birdies, 10 Pars, 4 Bogey
• Total: 9 under par - 1 Eagle, 18 Birdies, 42 Pars, 11 Bogeys

Thompson played well throughout the tournament, but in the end came down to the home stretch on Sunday afternoon where he was able to fend off Geoff Ogilvy, who finished in second place.  Although I enjoy seeing repeat champions, there's something special about seeing someone win a PGA Tour event for the first time.  "This week was magical" Thompson said. "Just had a groove and kept feeling it."

I'm always intrigued by the statistics and the variety of paths golfers take in order to win a tournament.  For Thompson, the antidote included mediocre driving distance but above average accuracy, hitting just over 70% of fairways off the tee.  Here's some additional stats to look over...

• Avg Driving Distance: 279.7 yards
• Driving Accuracy: 71.43%
• Greens in Regulation: 66.67%
• Avg Putts per Round: 27.75 (Avg of 1.54 putts/hole)

Congrats to Michael Thompson on an amazing performance and on getting his first career PGA Tour victory at the Honda Classic!

- - - - - -
This article was written by Scott Stevens from Eat Sleep Golf as part of our What It Takes To Win series. This series is focused on taking a closer look at the winning performance of each PGA Tour event to see exactly what it takes to be victorious among elite golfers.

Please feel free to comment below, or continue the conversation with us on Facebook (www.fb.com/eatsleepgolf) and/or on Twitter (@EatSleepGolf).